New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is catching criticism from conservationists for reeling in a 154.5-pound thresher shark off Long Island. The Democrat tweeted pictures of his catch Sunday.
Cuomo's office notes he was legally permitted to keep the shark. But several social media users still criticized the decision.
Shark Research Institute director Marie Levine says Monday that threshers are considered vulnerable, a conservation status just below endangered. She says that sport fishing isn't a leading shark killer but that releasing the fish would have been preferable.
Levine says New York under Cuomo has taken strides to conserve sharks.
Cuomo's brother, CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, is also pictured in the photo. Earlier this month, he posted an Instagram photo of a 9-foot hammerhead the brothers caught and released.
